1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates social networking services. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for incorporating user presence and location into a social networking service.
2. Description of the Related Art
Social networking services, such as MySpace and Friendster, are becoming increasingly popular. Such systems typically provide a World Wide Web page interface and allow users to establish personal social network accounts, which allow access to a variety of services. These services include personal blogs, identification of interests, and can include access to instant messaging and e-mail services. Such systems can further maintain databases of registered parties having common interests.
In addition, such systems allow other users to register as “friends,” with their accounts. Such systems may further allow an identification of when a “friend” is online, thereby facilitating instant messaging or other social interaction. For example, friends can receive notification when a party has updated his blog.
Other systems, known as “presence systems,” such as Instant Messaging systems, allow users to define sets of “contacts” or “buddies,” whose “presence status” or user or device context, may be monitored and reported to other registered users. For example, a user may be reported to be “on line” or “at the office,” and the like.
In general, social networking services and presence systems are distinct, in that each system is independent and requires an independent account setup and separate lists of “friends” and “contacts.” Thus, unless the friends and contacts lists are deliberately set up to be identical, and continually maintained as such, the full set of services is never available to a given user.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,179 provides a system in which users can track the availability of other users and generate notifications based upon user set parameters, so as to facilitate social interactions. Nevertheless, to properly exploit such a system, a legacy user would need to completely migrate thereto (thereby abandoning his installed base) or maintain a third communication system.
Thus, neither the presence nor social interaction art provides a system in which presence and social networking are available to users using independent and/or legacy social networking and presence systems.